They hit the ball on the screws, 3 at'em balls prevented the big inning. Umps just gave the Rangers a massive gift, Boston guy hit a bomb out of Fenway with a man on, directly over the LF pole. Umps call it foul, huddle, finally review it, call it foul anyway.
One of the reasons that I love baseball is that players shaped like Mariners' first baseman Dae-Ho Lee get a chance to be professional athletes.
He's right, just not in that instance. You can block the plate if you need to be there to field the throw.
Exactly the reason the rule is in place, by all rights Martin could have came in full force and brutally took Lance out.
I misspoke a bit, you have to set up to receive the throw allowing the runner a lane to the plate, if you have to move to block the plate as you're in the process of fielding the throw to make a play, that's theoretically legal. It's a timing thing and a total judgement call on the ump's part.
He was out by 8 steps, that would be the definition of egregious contact, benches would have emptied, Martin would be ejected and suspended, etc.... Like I said, you're not supposed to do what Lance did, but it's moot when you're out by as far as Martin was. Mariners guys just said the Stros have lost 9 straight 4th of July games.
Seen this far too many times where the Stros let a pitcher off the hook in the first and then the pitcher becomes Cy Young the rest of the game.
Army Regulation 670-1 The regulation states that when authorized for application to the proper uniform the American flag patch is to be worn, right or left shoulder, so that “the star field faces forward, or to the flag’s own right. When worn in this manner, the flag is facing to the observer’s right, and gives the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward. The appropriate replica for the right shoulder sleeve is identified as the ‘reverse side flag’.”
